Vorsk gritted his teeth, trying to flex the fingers of his arm. His mind still screamed at him to keep fighting, but he was beginning to understand a harsh truth, he couldn't win if this goes on.
Arthur had no weaknesses he could exploit, except for his lack of experience. No matter how many times he cut him down, Arthur stood up again as if nothing had happened.
Vorsk's breath came out in ragged huffs. His pride told him to keep fighting, but his instincts screamed for him to retreat.
He let out a guttural growl, his one remaining hand trembling as he clenched it into a fist. His vision blurred for a moment, and he blinked rapidly, trying to stay focused.
Arthur, still standing firm, gave him a final warning. "You don't have to die here, Vorsk. Surrender and you can live."
Vorsk let out a growl, but it lacked the strength from before. He knew it. Arthur was offering him a way out… But he would never surrender to a human, his pride won't allow him. And his fate would be for the humans to decide if he surrenders, which he cannot accept.
Vorsk staggered back, his body trembling with exhaustion, but his hatred burned hotter than ever. This damn human, this freak, had pushed him to the brink.
Arthur, watching him carefully, kept his stance firm. He could see it in Vorsk's eyes, the Chimerian wasn't done.
A feral snarl erupted from Vorsk's throat as he lunged forward, his claws coated in plasma energy, aiming directly for Arthur's heart. "DIE, HUMAN!!"
Arthur reacted in an instant. His world slowed.
His sword flared, the red glow at its edges intensifying, and he sidestepped at the last second. Vorsk's claws whistled past his ribs, just missing his vital organs.
And then, Arthur struck.
With all the force he could muster, Arthur drove his sword forward, straight into Vorsk's chest.
The blade sank deep, piercing through armor, muscle, and bone, until its crackling edge emerged from Vorsk's back.
Vorsk's body jerked violently. His eyes widened in shock, his breath hitching as the burning heat of the sword ate away at his insides.
Arthur twisted the blade.
"Grk…!" Vorsk let out a strangled gasp, his remaining hand grasping feebly at Arthur's wrist, his claws scratching against the armor, but there was no strength left.
Arthur leaned in slightly, locking eyes with him. "This is the end, Vorsk."
Vorsk's lips curled into a bloody, weak sneer. His voice was barely above a whisper. "Hah… Don't think… this is a victory… human…"
Arthur's expression didn't change. He ripped the sword free, pulling it upward as he did, slicing through Vorsk's heart.
For a moment, Vorsk stood there, frozen. His body trembled, his legs buckling…
Then, with a final, choking gasp, he collapsed.
His body hit the ground with a heavy thud, the light fading from his furious eyes. His violet blood pooled around him, his reign as a commander finally over.
Arthur exhaled, shaking off the tension in his muscles. He looked down at the fallen commander for a brief moment, then deactivated his sword with a sharp hiss. Arthur came to respect Vorsk's tenacity as even after knowing he could not win he still did not surrender.
He turned and began to retreat into the shadows, his hand clenched tightly into a fist. He had finally won.
…
Arthur exhaled sharply as he made his way back to the command deck. His armor was in shambles, his once-pristine black suit was now riddled with gashes, plasma burns, and dried streaks of violet Chimerian blood. With a grunt, he began peeling off the damaged plates, letting them clatter to the metallic floor beneath him.
"Guardian," Arthur called out, rolling his shoulders, feeling the tension in his muscles. "Can you repair my armor?"
A familiar deep voice responded within his mind.
[Of course, Commander. Please place the damaged components in the designated repair unit. The nanoforge will restore them to optimal condition within minutes. Do you want me to upgrade your armor?]
"There is no need for now." Arthur replied.
Arthur then stepped toward a circular platform that appeared near the edge of the room. He carefully placed the armor pieces into its center, watching as thin mechanical arms extended and began analyzing the damage. Within seconds, shimmering nanites swarmed over the armor, breaking down damaged parts and reconstructing them at an almost molecular level.
Arthur crossed his arms, he thought for a second and said to the Guardian, "Hey Guardian could you make the armor appear damaged from outside without making it lose its integrity."
He had asked the guardian to do so because he thought after going out of this place his teammates would find it weird if his armor remained intact even after fighting a Chimerian commander, after getting a positive response from the guardian Arthur started watching the process for a moment before turning his thoughts elsewhere.
"Guardian," he said, his voice steady, "Is it possible to retrieve Vorsk's memories?"
There was a brief pause before the AI responded.
[Yes. His death was recent, meaning his brain tissue is still intact. I can extract and digitize his neural data if you authorize it.]
Arthur's expression brightened. If he could access Vorsk's memories, he might uncover vital Chimerian intelligence, battle strategies, hidden plans, or even their deeper motivations for this war. It was an opportunity too great to ignore.
"Do it."
The Guardian AI immediately began the process. Somewhere within the vast interior of Spear of Heaven, a hidden chamber hummed to life. At the site of the battle, Vorsk's lifeless body suddenly vanished, teleported away in an instant. His corpse reappeared in a sterile, dimly lit room, where mechanical appendages extended from the walls, hovering over his head.
[Initiating neural extraction.]
A series of thin, precise instruments descended, gently piercing into Vorsk's skull. Pulses of energy coursed through his brain, scanning the remaining neural pathways, reconstructing the final traces of his thoughts and experiences. Arthur didn't flinch as he observed the process through a holographic screen on the command deck.
The Guardian's voice soon returned.
[Memory retrieval is in progress. Estimated time: five minutes.]
Arthur gave a nod of approval before shifting his focus to another pressing matter.
"There are still other Chimerians in the ship," he muttered, his gaze hardening. He had no reason to let them live. If they escaped, they would regroup, report back to their forces, and bring more trouble later. It was best to eliminate them now.
"Guardian, wipe them all out."
[Understood, Commander. Executing termination protocols.]
Across the ship, unseen defenses came to life. Silent humanoid robots emerged from hidden compartments, gliding through the corridors like ghosts using their thrusters. Advanced turrets unfolded from the walls, locking onto their targets with cold precision.
The remaining Chimerians, scattered throughout the ruins, had no warning.
Blades of plasma extended from the robot's arms, slicing through armor like paper. Turrets unleashed beams of energy, reducing warriors to ash before they could even raise their weapons.
Within moments, it was over.
Arthur didn't need to watch. He simply turned his back to the command deck's holographic display and asked the Guardian, "Hey Guardian, If we are inside the Spear of Heaven, then where is it located exactly?"
[Commander, the Spear Of Heaven is located in a separate dimension inside the Obelisk.]
"Oh…alright." After that he waited for the memory to be retrieved from Vorsk.
…
Lieutenant Nakamura let out a sharp exhale as he wiped a streak of violet Chimerian blood off his arm. The past hour had been nothing but endless corridors, strange architecture, and the occasional hostile encounter. Beside him, Samir adjusted his gauntlet, flexing his fingers as the last traces of his wounds vanished, courtesy of the nanobots in his system.
"This place is a damn maze," Samir muttered, glancing around the massive corridor they had entered. "I swear we've passed something similar like this before."
"Negative," Nakamura responded, his tone clipped as he surveyed the surroundings. "The architecture may look similar, but we're making progress. Our previous route had no intersection like this."
Samir sighed, shaking his head. "Still feels like we're walking in circles."
Just as he said that, the sound of movement made both of them snap their heads to the right. Nakamura instantly raised his plasma sword, while Samir's rifle was up in a flash. Their fingers hovered over their triggers.
Then, from the opposite end of the corridor, two familiar figures emerged.
Leo and Elena.
The moment they spotted each other, relief flashed across their faces.
"You've got to be kidding me," Samir grinned, lowering his weapon. "Finally, some damn familiar faces."
Leo gave a tired chuckle. "You guys have no idea how glad I am to see you."
Elena, ever watchful, let her sniper lower slightly, her sharp eyes scanning them. Her gaze landed on the scratches and scuffs on their armor. "You two had company?"
"We encountered them two times in the last hour," Nakamura confirmed, flicking off his plasma sword as the blade retracted.
Samir nodded. "Mostly thanks to the Lieutenant here. He made sure I didn't get gutted."
Leo chuckled, then gestured to himself and Elena. "Same for us. Two elites gave us some trouble. They weren't easy to bring down." Elena nodded hearing that.
For a brief moment, silence settled over the group as they processed the situation. Then, Nakamura's expression hardened.
"Have any of you been able to contact Arthur?"
The moment he asked, the air grew heavier. Leo and Elena exchanged glances before shaking their heads.
"No response," Elena said quietly. "Not even static. It's like he's completely cut off."
Nakamura frowned, considering the implications. "That's not normal. Even if comms were being jammed, we'd at least pick up interference."
Samir sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, there's nothing we can do from here. We'll just have to hope he's alright."
Leo crossed his arms, a determined look in his eyes. "Arthur's tough. He'll be fine."
Nakamura glanced at each of them before giving a firm nod. "Then we keep moving. We regroup, assess our situation, and find a way out."
No one objected.
As one, the four of them continued their exploration, their boots echoing through the vast halls of wherever they were in.
***
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